On 9 May, the Spanish Official State Gazette published the conditions necessary for beginning phase 1 of the transition towards a “new normal”, following the state of emergency introduced as a response to the coronavirus pandemic. Order SND/399/2020 (read it in Spanish here) compiles a list of safety and hygiene measures that will allow the opening of libraries and museums, as well as those necessary to enable audiovisual productions to start up again. Chapter 10 sets out the conditions that must be borne in mind when making any audiovisual production in the 11 autonomous communities (in other words, half of the country) that are making the transition to phase 1 today, 11 May. Among them are the Canary Islands, Navarre and Almería (places that frequently host film shoots), while Madrid, Barcelona and Málaga, among others, are still in phase 0, which means that filming is not yet allowed to begin in those areas.

(The article continues below - Commercial information)

The preventive and hygiene measures that will apply to audiovisual productions from today onwards are the following: casts and crews will be pared down to the bare minimum number of people; the nature of the activity permitting, an appropriate interpersonal distance must be maintained with third parties, as well as the use of satisfactory protective gear appropriate for the level of risk; when the activity does not permit an appropriate interpersonal distance to be observed, those involved must make use of adequate protective gear; in cases where the nature of the work does not permit the correct interpersonal distance to be observed or the use of adequate protective gear appropriate for the level of risk, as is the case for actors and actresses, they will have to comply with safety measures designed specifically for each particular case, starting from a baseline of the health authorities’ recommendations; recommendations will be established to enable transfers to other sites to be carried out with as little exposure to risk as possible, and workers will keep others informed of the modes of transport they will be using; during make-up, hair and wardrobe-related activities, the use of adequate protective gear will be compulsory in order to ensure protection of both the worker and the artist, with a constant two-metre distance being necessary between the artists and the compulsory disinfection of the materials after each use; and measures will be implemented to guarantee that items of clothing will be sterilised before being provided to other people.

Likewise, the conditions necessary for shooting films also encompass the following rules: shoots will be possible on sets and in private spaces, as well as in public areas that have been granted the appropriate authorisation; enclosed spaces will have to be cleaned and disinfected prior to the start of shooting; shoots on open-air sets and in open-air private spaces will be authorised after the occupational risks have been evaluated and the corresponding preventive measures have been adopted; and shoots on which there is no direct physical interaction that entails contact between actors and actresses can now begin in accordance with the provisions outlined in the overarching COVID-19 preventive and hygiene measures, as detailed by the health authorities.

Finally, the following elements are designed to protect and inform casts and crews of the lockdown-easing conditions: signposts, posters detailing hygiene measures and any other message deemed effective in guaranteeing adherence to the hygiene and preventive measures will have to be installed on shoots; the production company will have to make adequate preventive elements available to participants in the production so that they can do their job effectively; and whenever possible, the minimum safe interpersonal distance will be signalled via marks on the ground, or through the use of other markers, posters and signposts.

About us

Cineuropa is the first European portal dedicated to cinema and audiovisual in 4 languages. With daily news, interviews, data bases, in-depth investigations into the audiovisual industry, Cineuropa aims at promoting the European film industry throughout the world. Welcome to a platform where professionals can meet and exchange information and ideas.